If you want your facial features to be as accentuated as possible, you may want to consider contouring. Contouring can help to give you a more stylish, symmetrical look; however, it is important to understand how contouring can be adjusted depending on your unique facial shape. This guide will explain how to identify your face shape and how to best enhance your features with the perfect contouring technique.
1. Contour Your Way To Enhancing Your Features
- Start With the Basics – contouring is a cosmetic application technique used to sculpt or define facial features, such as cheeks, jawline, and nose. Start off your contour journey with a two-tone contour and highlight set, which is specially designed to give your face better shape.
- Work Your Cheeks – sweeping bronzer along the sides of your cheeks creates more depth and can even make you appear slimmer. Focus the color on your actual hollows rather than the outer apples of your cheeks, and use a blending brush to achieve a natural look.
- Understand How To Get Diminish Double Chin – contour can work wonderful on the jawline. Start by applying the bronzer directly on the hollows of your cheeks and near your jawline for a defined jawline. Finish with a soft dusting of bronzer around the edges of your face.
- Highlight Your Cheekbones – take the time to learn how to properly highlight. Use an illuminator to draw attention to your most defined features, like your cheekbones. Apply highlighter in the center of your forehead and chin, as well as down the bridge of your nose and your cupid’s bow to finish off your look.
- Focus On Your Eyes – finally, add a bit of drama to your eye area, by following the natural curves of your eyes and applying the darker color along the crease of your eyelid and then blending it with the lighter shade. You can also use bronzer to create a subtle smoky eye effect.
Contour can be used to create the illusion of a more sculpted face and, when done correctly, it can bring out the definition and natural structure of your face. Knowing the basics of contouring will help you achieve a more defined look, while highlighting will allow you to bring focus to certain features.
Contouring your cheeks is the first step in defining your facial features. Pay attention to your face shape and apply the bronzer in the hollows of your face to create natural-looking definition. Then, add a soft dusting of bronzer on the sides of your cheekbones and along your jawline for a more defined effect.
Highlighting is another important aspect of creating a natural contour. Use an illuminator or a shimmery powder to brighten up key areas of your face, like your forehead, chin, and nose bridge. Apply it to a wider area than your bronzer to create a subtle, floating-off-the-face effect.
Finally, give your eyes some definition. Use a darker tone and apply it mainly at the crease. You can use either a bronzer or parallel your eye shadow. Blend everything with a fluffy eyeshadow brush and create a subtle smoky eye effect.
Contouring can be a tricky business, but don’t be discouraged. Practice and take the time to learn, you’ll be looking like a contour expert in no time!
2. Determining Your Face Shape
Before you can find the flattering styles of glasses for your face, you must first know what shape you have. To determine your face shape, head to front of a mirror. Pull back your hair then observe your face undistracted. Take note of the following:
- Forehead: Is your forehead wide, narrow, or the same size as your jawbone?
- Cheeks: Are your cheeks wide and full or flat and narrow?
- Chin: Does your chin come to a sharp point or is it rounded?
Using these visual markers, you can identify the shape of your face. Turns out, your face falls into one of five categories:
- Oval: The forehead is slightly wider than the chin, with softly rounded curves.
- Round: An equal width and length with wide cheekbones.
- Heart: A wide forehead and cheekbones with a narrow jawline.
- Square: Forehead, jawbone, and cheeks are roughly the same width.
- Oblong: Face is longer than it is wide, with a long jawline and often a long nose.
Using your judgement, you should be able to determine the shape of your face. Do you have a round or oval face? Or are you rocking a square or heart-shaped face? Once you have your answer, then you’re ready to shop for frames that will accentuate and flatter your distinct facial features!
3. Contouring For Round Faces
Contouring, like clothing, can be tailored to fit each unique face shape. For those with round faces, some specific contouring techniques can really bring out its features and give a more sculpted silhouette. Here are some ways to contour for round faces:
- Know Your Face Shape: Make sure you know what face shape you have before attempting any contouring. Sometimes, looking at a side profile in a mirror can help you determine if your face in round or something else.
- Bring Out Your Cheekbones: Lightly brush your favorite bronzer in the hollows of your cheeks to bring out some contours and create a more sculpted look.
- Lighten The Temple Area: Using a highlighter on your brow- and temple-bone area can draw the attention upward and make the depth and structure of the face look more sculpted.
- Define The Jawline: Applying a slightly darker matte bronzer in the area of the jawbone can give your face a more angular and sleek contour.
- Go Lightly: When contouring, be sure to use light strokes and dust a small amount of makeup with a light hand. Too much product can make your facial features look heavy or overdone.
Once you’ve practiced contouring your round face with different products and techniques, you’ll be one step closer to finding your signature beauty look. Keep experimenting and having fun with trying different contouring methods. And don’t forget to use a brush with a long handle to reach those hard-to-get-to areas!
For the best results, use quality makeup products to achieve the desired contouring look. Give yourself enough time with the application and use the right color shades for your skin tone. Using an eyebrow pencil of the same shade as your contour makeup is another trick to get the best contoured look.
4. Contouring For Heart-Shaped Faces
Heart-shaped faces are definitely beautiful and unique, but they can also be tricky to contour properly if you don’t know what you’re doing. This guide will show you how to use contouring to enhance your heart-shaped face.
1. Start By Preparing Your Skin
Before you begin contouring, make sure you’ve prepped your skin properly. Cleanse, tone, and moisturize your skin until it’s smooth. Then, use a primer that is tailored to your skin type. Primer will ensure that everything you put on after it will stay put.
2. Use Bronzer To Create Depth
Using a combination of bronzer and blush, you can help create your ideal heart shape. Take your matte bronzer and a fan brush and lightly dust it onto your forehead, down your nose, and along your hairline. This will give you more depth and shadow, helping to create the illusion of a smaller, more defined forehead and nose.
3. Add Dimension With Blush
After defining your bronzer, use a good quality blush to bring some freshness and life to your cheeks. Place it on the apples of your cheeks and blend it outward in an upward motion. This will add dimension and help make your face look fuller and more balanced.
4. Highlight To Add A Glow
Finally, use a highlighting cream or powder to give your face an extra dewy glow. Place it on the following areas:
- Forehead
- Cheekbones
- Chin
- Nose
- Cupid’s bow
Using highlighting cream with a light highlighting brush, blend the product into these areas. This will complete your look with a naturally illuminated finish.
Contouring is a great way to enhance your features while still feeling like your beautiful self. Keep these tips in mind the next time you want to try contouring and you’ll be sure to have perfect results for whatever face shape you have. Never be afraid to experiment – you never know what looks you might create and how confident you’ll feel in the end. After all, embracing your features and having fun are the most important steps to looking and feeling your best.